The Bell

Title: The Bell

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Carol was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and then grew up in Austin, Texas. She moved to Massachusetts when she was eight and has lived there ever since. Her father played professional hockey so they moved around a lot when she was little, but when her family moved to Massachusetts at the age of eight she began playing ice hockey. She wasn’t able to play ice hockey at an earlier age because there was no youth hockey in Texas. She started playing hockey because she idolized her father. She is currently a junior assistant captain on the women’s ice hockey team and a government major.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Catherine Berghuis was a captain on the team when Carol was a freshman. When Catherine graduated, she bequested, or passed down, this tradition to Carol just like it was passed down to her. She chose this person as someone who carries herself as young, vocal leader
Social Context: Every time Carol hits the bell she thinks of Catherine Berghuis and how much she inspired her and looks up to her. Caroline believes the bell does not just have a significant meaning to her, but also to every past, present, and future member of Dartmouth Women’s Ice Hockey.

Item:

While waiting to go on the ice for the start of the game, the team waits under the stands in a line. Above our heads on the wall right before getting on the ice, there is a very old round bell. Carol hits the bell as hard as she can with her stick right before we all run on the ice. This is the signal for the rest of the team that its time to start the game.

Transcript:

“Our former captain Catherine always hit the bell before me. This really pumped-up the team and was an honor to be that person to lead the time out on the ice at the start of every game. I am thrilled to be the one to now carry out this ritual.”

Informants Comments:

The bell holds a lot of significance to the team as a whole and the person who has the honor to do it.

Collectors Comments:

While hitting a bell before every game may not seem to have a lot of significance, within the hockey team it does. I could tell how much it meant to be the person who got this tradition passed down to and how much the team thrives on hearing this tradition before stepping on the ice every game.

Collectors Name: Claire Bird

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive